The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
The Millikan Rams have yet to find something that fazes them two rounds into the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs. Just two days after sweeping Chaminade in the first round, the Rams stood the test once again against a tough San Juan Hills team, cruising to a 4-1 win at Long Beach City College to advance to the quarterfinals.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking, but it goes back to what I said the other day about being confident but not cocky,” Millikan coach Antoinette de la Espriella said after the match. “We’re confident that our girls have all the tools they need to execute and win, and it just comes down to quickly strategizing against your opponent and figuring out what’s working, which I thought they did a really good job of today.”
Millikan was quick to take care of business on either end of the courts, as Sarah Thaut and Bethany Arnold earned a gritty 22-20, 21-18 win on Court 1 over Alexis Perkins and Alexis Tragos, which ended nearly simultaneously with Lucy Morris and Estella Lopez’s 21–11, 21–14 win over Sophia Maleki and Stella Vicelja on Court 5.
“They handled business,” de la Espriella said of Morris and Lopez. “I didn’t have to look over at them once today. Lucy was sick and wasn’t able to play the other day, so it was nice having them back together as that dynamic duo.”
Both teams faced some momentum swings in each match on Thursday, and San Juan Hills capitalized with a win on Court 4. Addison Carson and Ava Vazquez finished with that momentum, closing out a tight 21-16, 24-22 win over Millikan’s Hannah Martin and Olivia Vitz to cut the Rams’ lead to 2-1 with two courts remaining.
Madison Jones and Johanna Swerdloff then clinched the win for Millikan on Court 3, defeating San Juan Hills’ Kayla Christenson and Claire Peo 21–18, 21–17. That left Bella Bonales and Aubrey Greene as the final team on the court for Millikan on Court 2, as Sarah Johansson and Whitney Port tied the match in the second set to force a third.
Though it didn’t end up being necessary, Bonales and Greene closed out what ended up being the tightest match of the game despite the pair leading for most of the third set. San Juan Hills came back to eventually tie it late in the set, before Bonales and Greene eventually closed it out in extra points, winning 21-10, 17-21, 16-14.
“It was just a matter of who really wanted to win, and me and Bella don’t take losing lightly,” Greene said of that third set. “We wanted to take that third set and bring the score to 4-1 instead of 3-2. I feel like 4-1 is very different then 3-2 and me and Bella just really wanted to win regardless of what had already happened.”
The three-set battle was Millikan’s first through two rounds of the playoffs, and it was exactly the type of finish de la Espriella has been preaching to her team.
“It was a huge testament to what I’ve been saying to the girls all season, which is that if we take it to three we need to close out,” de la Espriella said. “For everyone to be able to watch a pair do it as the final team standing, and they’re the grittiest players, that leadership to be shown to our girls meant a lot even though that game technically wouldn’t have counted.”
“I think it’s the most important thing to have games like that in these playoffs,” added Bonales. “If you don’t get any practice like that then what’s going to happen when you do get in that situation? So it was good to play that type of game and win it.”
The Rams will now advance to their toughest test of the playoffs, traveling to face top-seeded South Torrance on Tuesday in the CIF-SS Division 3 quarterfinals.
Final Results:
Court 1: Sarah Thaut/Bethany Arnold (MIL) def. Alexis Perkins/Alexis Tragos (SJH) 22-20, 21-18
Court 2: Aubrey Greene/Bella Bonales (MIL) def. Sarah Johansson/Whitney Port (SJH) 21-10, 17-21, 16-14
Court 3: Madison Jones/Johanna Swerdloff (MIL) def. Kayla Christenson/Claire Peo (SJH) 21-18, 21-17
Court 4: Addison Carson/Ava Vazquez (SJH) def. Hannah Martin/Olivia Vitz (MIL) 21-16, 24-22
Court 5: Lucy Morris/Estella Lopez (MIL) def. Sophia Maleki/Stella Vicelja (SJH) 21-11, 21-14
